The Paradox of God
and the Science of Omniscience

Clifford A. Pickover

Palgrave/St.
Martin's Press, 2002

God is a hot topic today. You've heard of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion.
You've heard of Sam Harris's The End of Faith and Letters to a Christian Nation.
You've heard of Victor Stenger's God: The Failed Hypothesis.
You've heard of Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell and
Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great.

Now see the book that
predated them all.

"Pickover has done it again!
He takes you on a fascinating journey from the Old Testament to quantum
physics and beyond. He will make you question your assumptions while showing
you the paradoxes inherent in the idea of omniscience. No matter where
you stand on the religious/atheist spectrum, this book will open your eyes."

"Add two doses of Isaac Asimov, and one dose each of Martin Gardner and
Carl Sagan, and you get Clifford Pickover, one of the most entertaining
and thought provoking writers of our time. You can phone a friend and poll
the audience, but the riddles and paradoxes of this marvelous book will
leave you with more questions than answers, which is precisely the goal
of good literature."

--Michael Shermer, author of The Borderlands
of Science? and Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic

"Pickover inspires a new generation of da Vincis to build unknown flying
machines and create new Mona Lisas."

- Christian Science Monitor

"Pickover has published nearly a book a year in which he stretches the
limits of computers, art, and thought."

Jacket Flap: Pickover bridges
the gulf between logic, spirit, science, and religion in his latest, and
arguably best, creation. In exploring the concept of omniscience, Pickover
presents startling paradoxes that challenge our deepest notions about God,
while revealing both the awesome powers and limitations of omniscient beings.

In Paradox, ideas, thought
exercises, experiments, and practical analogies are used to explore what
types of relationships we ordinary humans might have with an omniscient
God. Pickover asserts that discussions on the supernatural are not beyond
the domain of science.This is a groundbreaking notion, one which may forever
alter how we think about religion, God, and the universe.

Through an inventive blend of
science, history, philosophy, science fiction, and mind-stretching brainteasers,
Pickover unfolds the paradoxes of God like no other writer. Ultimately,
he provides glimpses into the infinite, allowing us to think big, and have
daring, limitless dreams.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Paradox of Omniscience
2. God and Evil
3. Cain's Dilemma
4. The Parable of Algae
5. Newcomb's Paradox and Divine Foreknowledge
6. The Devil's Offer
7. The Revelation Gambit
8. The Paradox of Eden
9. The Brain and God: Who's in Charge?
10. The Bodhisattva Paradox
11. The Paradox of Pascal's Wager
12. Two Universes
13. Gödel's Proof of God
14. The Paradox of Uzzah
15. The Paradox of Dr. Eck
16. The Paradox of Led Zeppelin
17. A Few Quick Puzzles and Surveys
Some Final Thoughts
Appendices
Topics include: Can God Change His Mind?, Does God Makes Mistakes and
Learn?, and Sixty Way-out Questions to Ponder

Clifford A. Pickover is the author of over twenty
highly-acclaimed books, such as Time: A Traveler's Guide and Computers,
Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty, and has written on diverse topics ranging
from computers and creativity, art, mathematics, and astronomy-to human
behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction.
Dr. Pickover received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is a prolific
inventor. His web site pickover.com has received over a half-million visits.